Electricity Providers: NSW

In New South Wales there’s a range of plans you can choose from a different energy retailer.

Find the right deal for your home – here’s everything you need to know about energy in NSW.

Electricity Contracts in NSW

There are two types of electricity contracts currently available in NSW:

Standard Contracts – If your living in NSW and haven’t switched provider in years, you are most likely under these old and expensive contracts. These have basic regulated conditions set by the government which provides payment methods with no exit fees. Also, energy companies are required to offer a standing offer contract in addition to their market offers.

Market Contracts –These are contracts set by energy retailers comes with varying contract lengths, discounts and benefit periods that provides the opportunity to cut costs as long as they stick to the conditions.

You can contact your energy provider to check the type of contract you have. Switch from a standard to a market offer to save money on your bills, as long as you stick with the discounts’ conditions.

Electricity Costs in NSW

Electricity offers come in all sorts of prices and charges including two major costs-supply charges and usage charges.

Supply Charges- These are the charges you pay for being connected to the electricity grid which cost from 80 cents up to $1.20 per day, remains the same every day no matter how much your energy usage. Some retailers with cheaper supply charge might slightly have higher usage rates and vice versa.

Usage Charges – These are rates for actual electricity usage which depends on different tariffs and time of the day. Standard peak usage charges can cost anywhere from 28 to 29 cents per kWh for peak time usage and some charge as much as 40 cents.

Electricity Plans in NSW

The electricity providers in NSW offers a wide variety of plans differentiated by discounts or sign- up incentives.

These fall into two categories – Variable rates and Fixed rates.

Variable Rate Plans – These have variable rate usage and supply wherein retailers can change the prices for electricity usage and supply at any time with prior notice.

Fixed Rate Plans – These plans are lock- in supply and usage charges for a set period, usually two years. This protects you against any charge increase but comes at higher rates compared with other plans.

Other retailers like POOLED ENERGY which is offered for those who have swimming pools, its license is combined with the maintaining services. Others like, Energy Locals allows costumers to donate to their charity via power pills.

Electricity Tariffs in NSW

A tariff is the pricing structure of energy plans with different usage charge based on energy usage. Some tariffs will only be available if a smart meter is installed at your property. In NSW, tariffs fall into two categories:

Single Rate Tariffs

The same usage charge applies regardless of your power usage. A single rate tariff usage charges to cost around 30 to 32 cents per kWh, depends on how much power you use in a day. Energy companies in NSW divide usage costs into ‘block rates’, no matter what type of your meter you can use a single rate tariff.

Time of Use Tariffs:

The usage charges are different, depending on the time of your power usage which applies to households with a smart meter.

Peak: The most expensive rates you will pay, these charges can cost up to and over 60 cents per kWh.

Off-peak: The rates are at the cheapest. These charges typically cost as low as 15 cents per kWh.

Shoulder: These rates apply at all other times of day with rates are in between.

Block Rates

This is sometimes listed as peak, demand, single rate on energy bills. This tariff charges a different price depending on energy usage. On the first ‘block’ the prices are at the highest and then less for each following block, the costs of these blocks are only with a marginal difference.

Controlled Load Tariffs

This is also known as “dedicated circuit” that allows your meter to select high- usage appliances for a cheaper rate.

It’s usually applied to the hot water system. Rates are cheaper than normal usage rates, usually between 6 and 8. A second controlled load for big appliances like pool pumps can be applied for up to 16 hours per day but rates will be higher than the first controlled load.

Electricity Discounts in NSW

Electricity providers in NSW offer plans with huge discounts like, off usage charges for paying on time or by direct debit, receive bills via email and for online sign-up. In some cases, usage charges are more than a 20% discount.

Energy Rebates in NSW

There is a wide range of energy rebates available in NSW to help reduce electricity costs.

Electricity Distribution Networks in NSW

There are three distributors in NSW. Electricity retailers have different prices for their plans for every network.

Red Energy is an electricity retailer owned by Snowy Hydro – the Australian-owned renewable energy generation company behind the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme. These are the concise range of plans they offer:

Living Energy Saver: A variable rate plan with a 10% pay on time discount. It has an ongoing benefit period which includes access to the Red Energy Rewards program.

Qantas Red Plus: This awards customers with 7 points per $1 they spend on electricity or gas.

Alinta Energy

Alinta Energy, owned by Hong Kong’s Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, claims to be the only ‘true’ national electricity and natural gas company. They keep things simple with a single variable market offer in each state they cater. Their flagship product is called the ‘Fair Deal’, comes with a pay on time discounts with two years benefit period but no lock-in contract or exit fees.

Dodo Power & Gas

Dodo not just offers phone and internet services but also do electricity and gas. Dodo offers a single variable rate contract with no fixed term. Paying bills on time via automatic payment plan (credit or direct debit) will give customers a 30% discount on electricity usage charges.

AGL

AGL is one of Australia’s oldest companies, originally established as the ‘Australian Gas Light Company’ to bring power to Sydney in 1837. They offer three electricity market contracts:

AGL Essentials: This plan comes with locked in rates for 12 months, but no conditional discount and no exit fees.

AGL Savers: A variable rate plan with pay on time discount for 12 months. Rate varies per state. This plan at times comes with free electricity in the last month of the contract in some states.

AGL Savers Home Connect: This is similar to the Savers plan but includes a slightly smaller discount with an added value of Amazon Echo smart home device which runs for two years.

They also offer discounts on electricity usage charge for customers under direct debit and a reduced discount for those who pay bills on time but not via automatic payments. Customers also can benefit from the retailer’s association with the fly buys program, with one point awarded for every $1 spent on energy. Switching to AGL online will give them 10,000 fly buys points.

ActewAGl

Partly owned by AGL, caters to some areas of NSW including Queanbeyan, Shoalhaven and the south-east corner of the state, covered by the Essential Energy network. They only have one market offer which includes a discount of 12% to 22% off with two years benefit period. Rates and discounts vary between areas.

Click Energy

Click Energy is one of the biggest ‘second tier’ electricity providers in NSW and in other states. They typically offer one big discount market offer in every state, in addition to a certain product for electric vehicle owners. They also have a habit of regular product switching, offer today might no longer be available tomorrow. But they have ongoing 35% off for both usage and supply charge for paying on time and by direct debit, no term or exit fees.

Energy Australia

Compared to other retailers they only have few electricity plans each for a state. They have a government regulated standing offer called ‘Basic Home’. These are the other plans they currently offer:

Flexi Saver: A variable rate contract with no term or exit fees. Offers pay on time discount of 20%, which applies in the first year after sign up. This also offers an online sign-up credit included on the plan between $50-$100 which depends on your location.

Anytime Saver: This gives you a guaranteed 28% discount regardless of how or when you pay your bills which applies after the first year of your sign up.

Secure Saver: Rates are ‘frozen’ with an increase in usage or supply charges for two years. Offers pay on time discount at 28% but exit fees apply at $22.

Origin

Origin provides the most comprehensive range of plan options in NSW.

Maximiser: Offers 16% on electricity usage charges which applies in the first year after you sign up thru direct debit payment. Sometimes a small bonus discount is given away for online sign-up.

Saver: Pay bills in full on time will give you a 13% discount after your first-year signup.

Bill Saver: A variable rate contract with a small guaranteed 10% discount on usage and supply rates for 12 or 24 months.

Always take in consideration the factors mentioned above when looking for the best deal including:

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